The Importance of a Lawyer for a Speeding Ticket

Lets be honest all of us at one time or another for some reason have been guilty of speeding. Whereas the Speeding laws vary by state and the chances for success in challenging a speeding ticket vary even greater by state, the one thing that is constant is the need for an attorney to challenge any speeding ticket. An attorney who can successfully defend you from a speeding ticket can prevent you from having points put on your license and protect you from the sharp increase in insurance premiums you will pay if you get a ticket.

Here are the top 5 reasons to get an attorney for a speeding ticket.

1) Experience: You will only do this once or twice in your lifetime (hopefully) whereas the attorney will do this considerably more times than you can ever imagine having to do that. As such they know the questions to ask the officer (or representative) to challenge the ticket. They know the court system and how to appeal to the individual judge or magistrate. And most importantly they know the law.

2) Familiarity with the Court: Unless you live in a major metropolis (and often even if so) the local court will be a small place where everybody seems to know everybody. Your attorney has been in front of the Judge or Magisitrate countless times before for many different cases and has built at least a professional relationship. Whereas you probably have not been here before and the Judge does not know you from Adam. Familiarity is important and the attorney has it and you don't.

3) You mean business: The Judge knows that you are paying for the attorney and that sends the immediate message that you mean business with this ticket. It lets the judge know that you are taking this matter seriously and that will catch their attention. From my experience those with attorneys win far more than those who don't have one, and very often in the disposition the judge mentions knowing you take it seriously because you hired an attorney.

4) You can save money by spending money: Attorneys can be expensive, which is why you need to shop around. For many attorneys doing speeding ticket cases is fairly simple compared to more complex litigation and does not take a lot of their time. Look for an attorney who will do this for a fixed rate that covers both the initital hearing and any appeals work. You will be spending money now, but if your attorney is successful he or she will save you a lot of money in insurance premiums over the next few years.

5) It takes the burden off your shoulders for now: Preparing for a speeding ticket case for the pro se party can be difficult and stressful, not to mention time consuming. Not to mention the day of court, your big day, you may be nervous and not know what to expect. Whereas your attorney has done this before, is a skilled advocate and can stay calm, and a good attorney will keep you calm and focused on the matter at hand. Instead of trying to figure out what to tell the Judge, your attorney will ask you carefully designed questions to tell your story in the best possible light. Body language tells a lot to the judge and having the ability to stay calm and focused goes a long way towards a successful defense.

So in conclusion, if you get caught speeding, challenge the ticket and find a local attorney to guide you through the process.